what about limiting certain areas the site until someone has been a member "x" long?

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

It looks like a joke to me.

Maybe so, but a joke guaranteed to make blood boil on some people from the opposite side of the political aisle, and lead to similar partisan political comments in reply, and lead to a heated flame war on just about any message board that wouldn't quickly squash it, destroying the original thread.

[happy_terd]

If we had to stay serious in the lounge I think at least 50% of us would leave the forum for good.

...I'm just saying.

[happy_terd]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

See, now THIS is an example of a pure troll:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...02&postcount=2

Recluse is a good guy. If he made a joke that wasn't appropriate or if he offended someone on accident usually he will edit out the comment if asked by the person.

A troll would not do that. A troll picks a fight not to be confused with someone who says the wrong thing at the wrong time a lot BUT ALWAYS asks for forgiveness when the line is crossed.

[Salgueiros]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

Maybe so, but a joke guaranteed to make blood boil on some people from the opposite side of the political aisle, and lead to similar partisan political comments in reply, and lead to a heated flame war on just about any message board that wouldn't quickly squash it, destroying the original thread.

You are not wrong in your analysis, but let us be magnanimous with members who post bad taste jokes. We all make faux pas every now and then.

[recluse]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

See, now THIS is an example of a pure troll:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...02&postcount=2

As usual, ardeegee is making a personal attack.
I made a bad joke to a friend.
When informed it wasn't appreciated, I corrected myself.
Meanwhile, ardeegee has made it a point to attack me at every opportunity. Simply because I hold an opposing view point. And when we do agree, he calls me a liar.
Who is the troll in this?
I apologize when I make a mistake.
I never try to hurt anyone intentionally unless I am attacked first.
I am tired of being attacked.

[poohbear_nc]

This thread is being closed (temporarily) to allow the MobileRead Moderation team to review the numerous complaints and reports we have received over the past few days, and to allow members to step back, breathe, and cool down.

[Alexander Turcic]

kindlekitten posted this thread to make the suggestion that we restrict access to new members who have been with us for fewer than x months.
Her rationale: Some forum sections would be of little interest to new members but tend to be particularly attractive to trolls.
As long as we can actively help solving the issue with trolls, we don't want to introduce any such restriction. First of all, I feel personally extremely irritated about communities that force me to be a member for x days or make y posts before I am considered a "full member" able to post where I want. And second, new members that turn out to be trolls are usually easily spotted and dealt with accordingly.
What adds a certain degree of complexity, as it has already been elaborated here, are regular members who - for whatever reason - suddenly feel the irresistible urge to forget the existence of our guidelines and behave in a way that could easily be interpreted as "trollish" by others.
Trolls and spammers are out there and they will continue to harress us for as long as we exist. Prepare for a very long time. Because of that, we will always consider and contemplate other possible ways to better deal with trolls in the future. For that we will need your help and as always, your input is highly appreciated!

This thread will remain closed as it has served its original purpose and the personal attacks wouldn't add anything new.